PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has strongly rebuked conservative American political commentator Bill O’Reilly for his recent remark claiming that Southeast Asia “has no money”, calling the statement both arrogant and ignorant.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the comment not only reflects O’Reilly’s lack of understanding of the current realities in Southeast Asia but also reveals a narrow worldview shaped by racial bias and colonialist ideology.
“This is a clear display of extreme arrogance by individuals who are, in fact, poorly informed, ignorant, and who believe that only their group or nation is successful.
“In social sciences, this is referred to as a trapped mindset…a worldview shaped by imperialist attitudes that fosters xenophobia, racial prejudice, and Islamophobia,” he told reporters after attending the Ministry of Finance’s Aidilfitri do here today.
Anwar was accompanied by his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Also present were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying and Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican.
In one of his video segments, O’Reilly claimed that Malaysians “have no money” and hence, irrelevant as a trading partner to China. He made the statement while commenting on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visits to Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
President Xi is currently in Cambodia after concluding his three-day state visit to Malaysia – his second official visit to the country since 2013 – during which the two nations elevated their diplomatic ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
During a bilateral meeting held at the Seri Perdana Complex on Wednesday, Anwar and President Xi also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Both leaders also witnessed the signing and exchange of 31 documents, including memoranda of understanding (MoU), agreements and letters of intent between the Malaysian and Chinese governments.
Malaysia and China established diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of that milestone last year.
Since 2009, China has remained Malaysia’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. In 2023 alone, total trade between the two countries reached RM484.12 billion, accounting for 16.8 per cent of Malaysia’s total global trade volume of RM2.88 trillion.
